News

Busy day for Blizzard--they posted some incentives to keep 25-player raiding alive in 5.2, launched a new 5.2 PTR build with a new archaeology race, legendary metagems, and Tier 15 Itemsets, and now they've got some hotfixes and class balance posts this evening!

Players still struggling to complete the 5.0 part of the legendary questchain will be happy to know that Sigil of Wisdom will be easier to obtain.

Over 100 low-level rares were also added in the most recent patch--many have distinctive colors that make them unique Hunter tames. In addition, Arcane Wyrms are now tamable serpents, and several received recolors for more variation.

If you're not a Hunter, these new rares don't drop any fancy loot, but they do give a significant amount of experience for killing them. The list is fun just to browse as well because many have clever names, like Gib the Banana-Hoarder, a monkey with a fez.

We've broken down the rares by continent and level, including zone details and 3D models, as well as by pet family. Tames with unique colors\/models are marked in italics.

IIn addition to all the 5.2 PTR excitement this weekend, Blizzard snuck in some live hotfixes as well, with some assorted bug fixes to Stackable Stag and class abilities.

Wowhead staff was also sent the lovely holiday card from the Blizzard Community team (click to enlarge). The Warcraft CMs have really gotten into the spirit of the holidays, with a lighthearted holiday greetings post featuring incriminating photos in RL versions of Gaudy Winter Veil Sweater. They've even dared players to photoshop the pictures in absurd ways!

A new achievement was added in Patch 5.1, Riches of Pandaria, for finding many junk items hidden like Ancient Pandaren Tea Pot. There are 18 total and many vendor for and grant several hundred thousand experience if found while leveling. Based on excellent user comments such as Lilikoi's and our own experiences finding treasures, we've made a guide to this new achievement series.

The guide below lists all the hidden objects you encounter, the items inside that vendor for gold, the hidden "Flag" quest that triggers when you find the object, coordinates that open a new map window, and an image of the treasure. Each tab also contains a zone map with pins that take you to the object's page when clicked on. Objects needed for the ac

Today's news round up covers some heroic boss nerfs, as well a a few 5.2 teasers--pet battles will have a chance to give you Lesser Charm of Good Fortune, and if you're capped on Valor Points, doing additional content that usually rewards Valor Points will give you Justice Points. (Keep in mind nothing is set in stone at all, these 5.2 ideas may change.) In addition, a lot of Warriors weren't happy about the nerf from last week, so Blizzard explained their reasoning in great detail.

Also be sure to check out our Turtle Beach Holiday Giveaway and our Feast of Winter Veil Guide!

We'll be putting up our Feast of Winter Veil guide later today, but there's also been some blue posts we want to share with you! Most importantly, pet battlers will be happy to learn that it will be easier to power level low-level pets due to an upcoming hotfix in which level 25 pets don't leech experience.

We\u2019ve been receiving a few inquiries over Twitter and through email regarding Farmer Nishi, so we thought we\u2019d share our thoughts on Pet Battle experience gains with you.

We will soon be applying a hotfix that causes level-25 pets to no longer \u201csteal\u201d experience from your lower-level pets. Previously, if you had a level-3 and level-25 pet grouped together for a battle, the XP earned would be shared between the two at the end. This resulted in some players doing what they could to kill off their level-25 pet so the level-3 pet would get all of the experience. You no longer need to worry about this as the level-3 pet will now receive 100% of the XP that\u2019s earned, so long as it has participated in at least one round

Mists of Pandaria has a unique legendary questline: it spans content patches and any class and spec can work on it. Multiple people in your raid can work on it at the same time, and it can even be completed in LFR. We've updated our guide to reflect the new 5.1 questline and weapon models.

\tClasses\t\t\tMage\t\t\t\t\tWhen modified by Charred Glyph is used to detonate a , the resulting now deals 50% less damage.\t\t\t\t\t\tWarrior\t\t\t\t\t now only stacks 1 time versus other players (was 3 times).\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tQuests\t\t\tBad Blood, Bloodlines, The Korune, Ancient Guardians, and The Source of Korune Power will no longer sometimes place players into the wrong phase.\t\t\t\t\tPvP\t\t\tThe Battle Fatigue healing reduction debuff has been increased to 30% (was 15%).\t\t\t\t\tCreatures\t\t\tThe Mogu enemies in the Ruins of Ogudei now drop correctly drop loot when slain.\t\t\t\t\tDungeons, Raids & Scenarios\t\t\tCreatures in the Molten Core, Blackwing Lair, and Temple of Ahn'Qiraj raid dungeons now deal damage according to their intended pre-Mists of Pandaria melee damage values.\t\t\t\t\tBug Fixes\t\t\tSeveral abilities that should break on damage will now correctly have a chance to br

In today's news, Blizzard dropped more hints about 5.2--this time, concerning Mistweavers. There's also a few posts on the creative side of the community--one highlights an interview with Michael Whelan, the artist responsible for the iconic image of Deathwing, over at WoW Insider, and the other covers the annual Blizzard Holiday Spotlight, featuring your most artistic cards and tastiest treats inspired by Azeroth. Speaking of Winter's Veil, Blizzard is also running a sale on most of their products if you are looking for the perfect stocking stuffer!

And it wouldn't be a news round up with at least one mention of LFR. Draztal explains why the decision was made to remove the status message upon zoning in.

Blizzard just posted some hotfixes tonight--here's the highlights:The Cinder Kitten had its health buffed slightly.Critical Mass and Fire Blast were slightly buffed.The PvP On Use trinkets had their revisions from today's news post go into effect.Newly created Sapphire Cubs will now always be of Uncommon quality.It is no longer possible to dispel or Spell Steal Xuen's Crackling Jade Lightning.Fixed an issue that allowed players below level 85 to see and loot certain Treasures of Pandaria.Elemental Shamans will now always be properly eligible for loot after defeating the Raid Finder version of Tsulong.

Today we have a list of all the other recent fansite interviews with Blizzard Lead Developers. They cover a variety of topics including Mists endgame, dailies, pet battles, and the Brawler's Guild, and include transcripts, podcasts, and video interviews--so there's bound to be some topic and format that suits your tastes!\r\rIn addition, there are some "Fast Patch" notes for 5.1.0A that mainly cover some bug fixes for pet battles and Macs. \r\rWe also want to highlight OpenRaid's recent redesign, which has a brand-new layout as well as a news section, event roster pages, enhanced friends lists, and user profiles with tooltips.\r\rOpenRaid makes finding a group for any raid or dungeon easy, whether you want to run an old raid for achievements or need a group for Challenge Modes. To learn more about OpenRaid, listen to the Hearthcast Interview and check out their tutorial.\r\rWorld of Warcraft Fast Patch 5.1.0A Notes\r[quote="Blizzard Entertainment" blizzard=true url=http:\/\/us